Means for indicating the deflation of pneumatic tires.



I P. H. TREAT. MEANS FOR INDIOATING THE DEFLATION OP PNEUMATIC TIRES. APPLICATION FILED 0617,1911.

1,038,801. Patented se t. 17,1912.

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- 4 I vFY5705. ,ZTLV J. wn'massas I '3 m "Z41 mvam'ron wflflMm '1 3.5 A/QM [4,, e/ZML FRANCIS H. THAT, 0! CLEVELAND, OHIO.

MEANS FORINDIOLTING THE DEILATION OF PNEUMATIC TIRES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 17,1912.

Application filed October 7, 1811. Serial No. 858,808.

a. new and useful Im rovement in Means for Indicatin the De ation of Pneumatic Tires, of which the following is a full, clear and exact description, reference being ha to the accompan ing drawings forming part of this speci cation, in who Figure 1 is a side view of a portion of an automobile showin m invention ap lied to one of the whee s; i 2 is a sectional vie wshowing the valve tu of the tire and the cap attachment constituting-my inventlon' and Figs. 8 and 4 are detail views of the locking member.

My invention has relation to means for indicating the deflation of pneumatic tires, and is designed to provide means of simple and inexpensive c aracter which can be readily attached to the ordinary valve tubes of pneumatic tires and which will indicate either visibly or audibly or both when the tire has become deflated to an imsafe limit.

The nature of my invention will'be best understood by reference to the accompan in'g drawing, in which I have shown t e preferred embodiment thereof which will now be described, it being premised, however, that various changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of the parts, without departing from the spirit and see 0 of my invention as defined in the appcn ed claims.

In these drawings, the numeral 2 designates a portion of an automobile, 8 one of the front wheels and 4 the tire thereof.

5 desi mates t e usual valve tube of the tire whici is provided with the usual valve device 6, forming no part of the present invention.

My invention is in the nature of a cap which can be attached to the threaded exterior of the valve tube 5, in lieu of the ordinal'y cap. It com rises the two casin or nag) members 7 an 8, which are unitegby a breaded joint at 9. The member 7 screws over the threaded end of the tube 5, and is secured by a lock nut 10, which preferably screws against the washer or packin ring 11, so as to render the joint watertighii The member 7 has a cavity therein, to receive the projecting end ortion' p f the' tube'for nipp e 5, a washer 2 being seated against the bottom wall ,of said eavity'for contact the mean force's the with the stem of the valve device 6, so as to normally hold said valve open. This washer ,has a central opening 13, therethrough'in line with a similar opening 14 in the wall against which it seats, so that air passing the valve 6 may flow through the registerin openings 13 and 14 and to the under si e of the flexible diaphragm 15, which is secured at its marginal portion between the upper end of the member 7 and an annular ring 16, which is seated within the flanged screw-threaded portion 17 of the member 8.

The numeral 18 designates a plunger having a'portion of its head reduced in diameter to enter the opening in the ring 16, and contact with the opposite side of the diaphragm. This plunger is contained within 1 or cap member 8 and its movement is limited b the flan e 19 thereon engltltgm the ring 6 in one irection and the s oul er 20 in the o posite direction. The stem ortion 21 of t e lun er extends out- Ward ythrough the end of e cap or casin member 8, a coil spring 22 bem seated around said stem and bearing against the head at one end and a ainst the interior end wall of the member 5 at the opposite end. This sprin normally holds the plunger in contact wit the diaphragm and resists the air pressure acting on the opposite side of the diaphragm.

28 designates a locking member havin an arm provided with a perforation 24, w rich engn s a projecting end of the stem 21. Th e ocking member has a shorter arm 25 which engages underneath the flange 26 on the ea or casing member 8. Attached to the loc ing member is a chain or other flexible member 27, whose other end is attached to an eye 28, on the side of the wheel felly, being preferably passed around a pin 29, seated in said felly for the urpose of takmg up slack and normally preventing rattling.

The operation is as follows: The sprin 22 is given an initial tension, such that it oan-be overcome by the minimum of air ressure within the tire acting against the iaphra The diaphra n, therefore, presses he plun r outwar 1y so that its stem rejects su ciently to receive and retain t e member 23. As soon, however, as the ressure falls to a sufficient degree to each s the spring to preponderate, the latter p anger inwardly and withdraws the end of the plunger rod or stem from the perforation 24 of the locking member. This member is now loose, and as the'wheel revolves, the chain 27 will strike the "mud guard 30 of the vehicle and thereby indicate to the driver that a deflated condition ofthe tire exists. In cases of gradual deflation of the tire, the driver by watching the device can readily see when the end 0 the stem of the plunger retracts. within the eye 24 of the locking member and can thus be warned in advance' that the tire is approaching a condition of"defiation suiiicientito' require inflating,

Inasmuch as the attachment comprising my invention can readily applied to existing valve tubes, it forms :1 ve simple, inexpensive and efficient means 0 indicatin the deflated condition of the tire.

it will be obvious that the diaphragm and plunger can be made to operate various kinds of alarm devices, and that various other changes can bemade in the details of construction and arrangement of the parts within the scope of my invention as claimed.

I claim:

1 Means for indicating the deflation qt pneumatic tires comprisin a member hav-. ing means for its connection to'the wheel of a vehicle and also 'to the valve tube of the tire of said wheel, and means for detachin said member at one end operated by the re action of pressure within the tire, substantially as described;

2. Means for indicating the deflation of pneumatic tires comprising a flexible memer having means for its connection to the wheel of a vehicle and also to the valve tube of the tire of said wheel, and means for detachin said member at one end operated by the re uction of pressure within thetire, substantially as described.

8. A device for indicating the deflation of pneumatic tires, comprising a co. havin a threaded portion for attachment 0 the va ve tube or nipple of a tire and also having means for normally holding the tire valve open, a diaphragm contained in the cap or casing and subject to the internal pressure of the tire upon one side, a lunger seatedi against the opposite side of t e diaphragm, a spring acting on the plunger reversely to the diaphragm, and an alarm'device havin a normally locked on agement with sai plunger to release byt e inward movement.

thereof, substantially as described.

4. In a device for indicating the-'deil'a tion of pneumatic'tires, a'fjeap' or casing adapted for attachment to the'valve tube of a tire, a diaphragm a? lutigrj arrange a) beactuated y the dia ragm'iia;locking v his...

member normally engaging the lunger wheel which carries the tire, substantially as described.

u 5.-.A device for indicating the deflation of pneumatic tires, comprisin a flexible signal'niember havlng means or its connection to a wheel of a vehicle, and also to the valve tube of the tire of said wheel, and means for 'frein said member operated by the reduction' o pressure within the tire, substantially as described.

, 6. A device' forindicating the deflation of pneumatic tires, comprising a cap having means wherebyit ma be permanently attached to' the valve tu e'or nipple of a tire, and also having means for normally holding the tire valve 0 en, said ca having a diaphragm seat, a exible diap ragm, a clamping ring between. which and the seat the edgekportionsof the diaphragm are held, said i aphragm forming a seal to prevent the escape 0 air from the tire beyond the diaphragm, a spring-pressed plunger bearing against the diaphragm, and means for limiting the movements of said plan er, toglpther with an alarm device contro led by t e said plunger, substantiall as described.

7. A device for indicatin 1; 1e deflation of neumatic tires, having a diaphragm chamer, a diaphragm therein means for connecting the diaphragm chamber with the interior. of a pneumatic tire, a plunger scated against the diaphragm and having a projecting stem, and a flexible alarm device ongaging the projeetin end of the stem and adapted to be release bv the inward movement thereof, said alarm device, when released, being in a'position to strike a relatively fixed portion of the vehicle, substantially as described.

8. A device for indicating the deflation ol pneumatic tires, comprising a diaphragm f' means for connectin the iaphragm chamber with the chamber, a die hragm therein interior 0 a tire, a plunger seated against the diaphragm and havin a projecting stem, the casing of the diaphragm chamber having a surrounding collar or flan e, and a si a1 device arranged to on age t e projectmg end of the stem and a so the collar or flan e in different radial positions, substantia y as described.

In tes imony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand FRANCIS II. TREAT.

Witnesses:

- "AwfF. Tmsn'rrs,

MZ'QORWIN,"

that; addrelislnglthefcoramluioner of Patents, 

